Whose Turf Are You Standing On.Basics Turfgrass Species of Lawngrass and Selection Cultivar and Selection Maintenance Laurie E. Trenholm, Ph.D. Laurie E. Trenholm, Ph.D. Urban Turfgrass Specialist Urban Turfgrass Specialist University of Florida University of Florida
Warm-Season Turfgrasses Bahiagrass Bermudagrass Buffalograss Carpetgrass Centipedegrass Seashore Paspalum St. Augustinegrass Zoysiagrass
Bahiagrass Grows by rhizomes Grows in bunches Likes acidic soil rhizome
Advantages Good drought tolerance Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) Low fertility requirements Low maintenance Tolerant of sandy, acidic, infertile soils Establishes from seed
Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) Disadvantages Produces abundance of seedheads Open growth habit encourages weed competition Susceptible to mole crickets Coarse stems are difficult to mow Not wear tolerant
St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum Walt Kunze)
St. Augustinegrass Advantages Best shade tolerance of warm-season grasses, but varies within species Good salt tolerance Tolerant to wide range of soil ph Establishes quickly from sod The standard - we know how to manage it!
Disadvantages Only grows by stolons (aboveground) no underground protection Requires water Poor wear tolerance Forms excessive thatch No chinch bug tolerance currently Loss of herbicides for grassy weed control St. Augustinegrass
Common St. Augustinegrass Cultivars Bitter Blue Captiva (dwarf) Delmar (dwarf) Floratam Palmetto Seville (dwarf)
Floratam Used in majority of home lawns in FL Released in early 1970s Initially had chinch bug resistance currently does not Has large, wide leaf blades and wide stolons Mow at 3.5-4
Palmetto Lighter green and shorter growth Claims that it has excellent drought, shade, cold etc. tolerance not backed by research Not as widely grown as 10 years ago
Delmar and Seville Dwarf cultivars mow at 2-2.5 Best shade tolerance 4-6 hours of sun daily Better cold tolerance in Delmar
New St. Augustinegrass Cultivars Captiva (dwarf) Classic Sapphire 13
Captiva St. Augustinegrass Dwarf variety (mow 2-2.5 ) Better shade tolerance than Floratam Improved tolerance to chinch bug damage Water and fertilizer requirements similar to other St. Augustinegrass cultivars
Classic St. Augustinegrass Good cold tolerance Good shade tolerance Claimed to be more drought tolerant and to have a denser root system Claimed to have good heat tolerance 15
Sapphire From Sod Solutions www.sodsolutions.com Claims good shade, drought tolerance Claims reduced fertilizer and water Deep green color
Older Zoysias Slow growing, lengthy establishment Nematode issues Disease more prevalent than some other species Coarse leaf texture Prone to thatch 18
Newer Zoysias Slow growing, but much faster than older varieties Nematode issues generally not as damaging as on older varieties Disease more prevalent than some other species Coarse leaf texture Prone to thatch 19
Japonicas vs. Matrellas ( coarse vs. fine ) Japonicas Higher mowing height (2-2.5 ) Rotary mower Medium shade tolerance Medium traffic tolerance Low N users Disease susceptibility Matrellas Lower mowing height Rotary or reel Better shade tolerance Better traffic tolerance May need higher N, use dependent Disease susceptibility 20
Japonicas vs. Matrellas ( coarse vs. fine ) Japonicas El Toro Empire JaMur Meyer Palisades UltimateFLora Matrellas Cashmere Diamond Emerald 21
El Toro (japonica) University of California (1986) a.k.a. Toro Poor turf quality in the north, but good in the transition zone and the south Good winter color with good winter hardiness Coarse leaf texture Fast recuperative potential and establishment rate Less dense and less thatch Fair shade tolerance Excellent drought tolerance and very good salinity tolerance Does well in high ph soils Moderately resistant to most insect pests
El Toro
Empire Zoysiagrass (japonica)
Empire Sod Solutions (1999) Poor turf quality in the north, good in the transition zone, and very good in the south Blue-green leaf color Slower vertical growth and establishment than some other species Fair winter hardiness, slow spring green-up (nitrogen dependent) Reduced maintenance zoysiagrass Salinity tolerance largely unknown Adapted to Florida s sandy soils Consistently good performance in Florida
Empire Zoysiagrass Low-growing, dense Very responsive to nitrogen Shade tolerance similar to Floratam Hunting billbug pests Susceptible to large patch - disease management is a critical factor in maintaing zoysiagrasses Tends to get thatchy Nematode tolerance?
this slide Courtesy Brian Schwartz, UGA
JaMur Bladerunner Farms (1996) a.k.a. Jack Murray Poor turf quality in the north, fair in the transition zone, and good in the south Medium to coarse leaf texture Dense canopy Poor winter hardiness Adapted to a wide range of soil conditions Quick establishment rate Fast recuperative potential for zoysiagrass Good shade, wear tolerance Salinity and drought tolerance very good Pest tolerance largely unknown
Jamur
Meyer (japonica) USDA USGA (1951) a.k.a. Z-52 or Amazoy Most cold-hardy zoysiagrass cultivar Very good quality in north and transition zone; poor in south Deep green color Medium leaf texture VERY slow to establish Very dense once established Good drought and salinity tolerance Less shade tolerant Susceptible to infestation from mites, sod webworms, hunting billbugs, mole crickets, and nematodes
Meyer
Fayetteville, AR
Palisades (japonica) Texas A&M University (1996) Poor turf quality in the north, good in the transition zone, and very good in the south High density Medium-coarse textured leaf Quick growth rate and recuperative ability Good winter hardiness Lower water use requirement Very good salinity tolerance Moderate pest tolerance Good shade tolerance NOT PRODUCED IN FLORIDA
this slide Courtesy Brian Schwartz, UGA
Austin Golf Club, this slide Courtesy Brian Schwartz, UGA
UltimateFlora
UF release UltimateFlora Finer leaf texture than some other japonicas (including Empire) Few seedheads noted Deep green color Fast grow-in
Diamond (matrella) Texas A&M University (1997) Poor turf quality in the north and transition zone, with very good turf quality in the south Fine to dwarf leaf texture Slow growth rate Very dense Excellent shade and salt tolerance Excellent color retention Excellent sod strength Scalping tendency Poor winter hardiness Good resistance to the tawny mole cricket, but susceptible to tropical sod webworm and zoysiagrass mite damage Use in areas with poor water quality, excellent salinity tolerance
this slide Courtesy Brian Schwartz, UGA
Shaded tee box at the Country Club of Birmingham
Emerald (matrella) Georgia AES USGA (1955) Excellent turf quality in the south Deep green color with fine texture and good density Widely adapted Good shade tolerance Good winter hardiness Good drought and salinity tolerance Moderately slow growth rate Thatch build-up may be a problem Moderately resistant to most insect pests
this slide Courtesy Brian Schwartz, UGA
The Big Myth With Turfgrass Water Use! 45
Turfgrass Water Use Rates Dr. Michael Dukes and team Compared water use (ET) of 4 warm-season grasses Final report not available yet, but synopsis: Water use ranking under well watered conditions (high to low): Bahiagrass Empire and Floratam were about the same and LESS than bahiagrass 46
Deficit Irrigation Research Glasshouse research, Ph D student project Objective to look at different grasses under deficit irrigation rates over time Maintained grasses at 100, 80, 60, or 40% ET Floratam, Palmetto, Sea Isle 1, Empire, Argentine bahiagrass Wide range of physiological measurements as well as visual ratings
Average Quality 7 6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 Argentine Empire Floratam Palmetto Sea Isle 1 4 100 80 60 40 Deficit Irrigation as % ET
Photosynthesis Rates 16 14 12 10 8 6 Argentine Empire Floratam Palmetto Sea Isle 1 4 100 80 60 40 Deficit Irrigation as % ET
Bottom Line on Irrigation All warm-season species need about the same amount of water to stay green Responses vary under water deficits Recovery varies between species Do not let perceived water use influence your choice of a grass 52
Fertilization of Lawngrasses 53
Current UF/IFAS Fertility Recommendations (lbs. N 1000 ft -2 yr -1 ) St. Augustinegrass: North FL: 2-4 Central FL: 2-5 South FL: 4-6
Current UF/IFAS Fertility Recommendations (lbs. N 1000 ft -2 yr -1 ) Zoysiagrass*: North FL: 2-4 Central FL: 2-5 South FL: 4-6 For japonicas, approximately 3 lbs N 1000 ft -2 yr -1 adequate more increases disease
Current UF/IFAS Fertility Recommendations (lbs. N 1000 ft -2 yr -1 ) Bahiagrass: North FL: 2-3 Central FL: 2-4 South FL: 2-4
Fertilization Timing North Florida 2-4 x/yr during growing season (April-Sept) Central Florida 2-5 x/yr during growing season (April-Oct) South Florida 3-6 x/yr (year-round) 57
Questions About Turfgrass? letr@ufl.edu http://hort.ufl.edu/you rfloridalawn/ http://turf.ufl.edu http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/ Thank you for your interest! 58